I saw a lady at my coffee shop and she had a windows laptop with a gigantic external keyboard plugged in and books all over the table. I'd heard about people who move in on a coffee shop like it was their private office, but she is the first one I've ever seen.

It is a large, large shop and tables are not ever all taken so I guess the owner would let someone know to move on if he felt imposed on.

Well, on open mic nights there is hardly any standing room available, but that's another story.

I'd heard about people who move in on a coffee shop like it was their private office, but she is the first one I've ever seen.

I hear thatNot so much here because I believe Starbucks still charges for WiFi ? ? So really you hardly ever see anyone with devices.

But at Maui Coffee Roasters when (Marg) was here - Anyway their WiFi was free, soooo you guess it, the place was packed with people with laptops and some were having businesses meetings I will say that all at lease had coffees and muffins that sorta stuff.

You could be right ? ? I hardly even go to Star bucks in the first place. The few times I did go in it was something like 5 bucks for 30 minutes, something that I felt was ridiculous. I cannot see why the charge because providing wifi is not expensive. I believe the charge was to discourage people from hanging around and making a private office like what Kate mentioned.

IMO, Star Bucks had a bad business model at the beginning.

I notice most people will buy one coffee and walk out - At Maui Coffee Roasters because of the free wifi people with laptops were buying 2 coffees and something to munch on, because they were now a captive audience .

But HNL did charge for wifi -via- through hook up on your laptop, pass ya credit card number, boom instant access. I don't know what the charge is because, I owned the Airline Premier Gold Card do hickey to gain entry into to their Clubs <-- which wifi was free, plus drinks and snacks. Believe me the best deal even if you have to pay for it.

Even the airports figured that one out and have been free for that past few years.

Ummm ... no. Emphatically no, to be precise.

You might be surprised how many airports simply pass the wireless services off to third-party pay-per minute/hour/day providers ...

I just got a Verizon hot spot to, among other things, avoid those charges (and those of hotels) ...

Must just be lucky where I go. Denver, Charlotte, San Diego, Chicago, Boston, Miami all switched to free wireless. A few years ago it was all pay for a membership of 15 bucks a day or so. Now it is all free or I have a magic airport card that knows the secret password.

Hotels are still coming around. A ten spot a day extra for an effed up hardwire connection was the norm five years ago. Now half the hotels are a ten spot wireless and the rest are free and everyone is heading there. Cheap motels got on the bandwagon of free wireless years ago.

In Boston I don't think I paid for wireless in ten years. Bleed through of wireless if I walked down Newbury Street for six blocks I could maintain free wireless from coffee shops. I used to carry a dongle that told me when I found wireless. Now I don't bother since it is always there. Boston might be different. Students hate to pay for wireless and we have 26 colleges. If the was a Starbucks that charged it would be one empty coffee shop.

I live on Cape Ann and my free wifi map shows 28 free WiFi hot spots. It's not a very big Cape.

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